IF YOU LIVE IN SOME PARTS OF THE CITY OF MACON....YOU MAY BE SHORT OF WATER RIGHT NOW....OR RUNNING ON LOW PRESSURE.
THAT'S ACCORDING TO TONY ROJAS...HEAD OF THE MACON WATER AUTHORITY.
HE SAID THE SHORTAGE STEMS FROM A PUMPING PROBLEM AT THEIR CENTRAL PLANT.
THAT MEANS WATER IS NOT GETTING TO SOME OF THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS IN THE CITY..... INCLUDING PARTS OF DOWNTOWN...VINEVILLE AND INGLESIDE.
IF YOU LIVE IN WEST BIBB COUNTY...OR IF YOU'RE NEAR A WATER TANK...YOUR WATER IS PROBABLY Ok.
THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.... RAY SHELL... SAYS THEY ARE TRYING TO FIX THE PROBLEM...BUT THEY'RE NOT SURE HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE.
UNTIL THEN...THEY'RE ASKING PEOPLE TO CUT BACK THEIR WATER USE.... LIKE OUTDOOR WATERING.
WE'LL HAVE MORE ON THIS STORY ON EYEWITNESS NEWS AT 11.

BIBB COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU NEXT MONTH ABOUT WHETHER TO RESTRICT SMOKING.
THEY ALSO PLAN A JOINT HEARING WITH THE CITY OF MACON AFTER THE JULY ELECTIONS.
CANDACE ADORKA FOUND OUT WHY COMMISSIONERS SAY THERE'S STILL LOTS TO CONSIDER BEFORE EXTENDING SMOKING RESTRICTIONS.
<<
MICHAEL JEFFERS HAS JUST ABOUT HAD IT WITH TALK OF FURTHeR REGULATING WHERE HE CAN AND CAN'T SMOKE.
Jeffers: "It's a good stress reliever, it gest you through the day. It's a bad habit, but overall, it's my business not the city's."
COMMISSIONER ELMO RICHARDSON SAYS IT MIGHT NOT BE THE COUNTY'S BUSINESS EITHER.
richardson: "I think we gotta be careful about overregulating what people do and dont do."
COMMISSIONERS ARE CONSIDERING COMING UP WITH A SMOKING ORDINANCE LIKE THE ONE THE CITY MAY CONSIDER THIS YEAR. FOR EXAMPLE THE CITY MAY BAN SMOKING IN RESTAURANTS...BARS AND CLUBS.
COMMISSIONER BERT BIVENS SAYS THERE IS STILL ALOT TO CONSIDER.
Bivens: "I'm really trying to make up my mind whether that's reaching too far. People who smoke have made the adjustments... they don't smoke in a lot of places... so i'm just tryign ot figure out where do people smoke now that they don't need to smoke."
Jeffers: "It isn't to say smoking is the draw for bars but it is one of the major conveniences and it's part of the culture. So take that away and it will kill bar and restaurant business."
COMMISSIONERS ALSO DISCUSSED A TEN-FOOT BUFFER AROUND BUILDING WALKWAYS AND ENTRIES.
COMMISSIONER RICHARDSON SAYS THAT CONCERNS HIM AS A BUSINESS OWNER.
"i've got entries and exits to that building and how will I be affected with my building and what I do within ten feet of the entrances and exits to my building."
Jeffers: "We're all hurtin... and we gotta have a little fun so dont take our fun away from us.
CANDACE ADORKA, 13 WMAZ EYEWITNESS NEWS.
>> COUNTY COMMISSIONERS STARTED TALKING ABOUT A PARALLEL SMOKING RESTRICTION TWO WEEKS AGO... COMMISSION CHAIRMAN SAM HART SAYS IT'S WORTH LOOKING AT TO BE FAIR TO MACON BUSINESSES THAT WOULD BE AFFECTED IF THE CITY PASSED AN ORDINANCE.

TODAY'S 13WMAZ DOT COM WEB POLL QUESTION ASKS... WILL A SMOKING BAN AFFECT YOUR CHOICE OF RESTAURANT?
SO FAR 60 PERCENT OF YOU SAY NO... IT WON'T.
40 PERCENT OF YOU SAY YES.
YOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT TO VOTE... LOOK FOR THE QUESTION ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF OUR HOMEPAGE AT 13WMAZ DOT COM.

DEMOCRATIC MAYORAL CANDIDATE ROBERT BROWN IS ON THE ATTACK AGAIN.
DURING A TAPING OF 13WMAZ'S CLOSE-UP PROGRAM - BROWN BLASTED BANK OF AMERICA FOR NOT LENDING MONEY TO A MACON CHURCH..
RANDALL SAVAGE HAS MORE.
<<ROBERT BROWN IS ONE OF FOUR DEMOCRATS RUNNING FOR MACON MAYOR.. DURING AN APPEARANCE ON THIS WEEK'S CLOSE-UP PROGRAM.. BROWN LAUNCHED A BLISTERING ATTACK ON BANK OF AMERICA. HE SAID THEY DENIED A LOAN TO A CHURCH THAT HAS DONE BUSINESS WITH THEM FOR MORE THAN SIXTY YEARS.
2:48:04 Robert Brown, Democratic Mayoral candidate don't know of any church in Macon who have failed to pay back loans and for them to have a banking relationship with that bank since 1950 and they couldn't get a loan to renovate their church.
SO BROWN SAYS CHURCH PEOPLE SHOULD BOYCOTT BANK OF AMERICA.
2:33:18 Robert Brown, Democratic Mayoral Candidate: That church, every church member and every other church member that they know of throughout this city, if they have an account with Bank of America, they ought to shut it down.
BUT BROWN HASN'T TALKED WITH BANK OF AMERICA OFFICIALS.
3:41:22 Randall Savage, Eyewitness News: Did you talk with Bank of American to find out why they did this, because it seems kind of unfair not to do. ///Brown Pops up here/// I don't care about being fair to Bank of America.
BROWN SAYS HE'S ALSO UPSET BECAUSE THE BANK ALLEGEDLY SUPPORTED REPUBLICANS WHO WANT TOUGHER IMMIGRATION LAWS.. THEN TURNED AROUND AND LOOK FOR BUSINESS FROM IMMIGRANTS.
4:03 Robert Brown, Democratic Mayoral Candidate: When the Mexican government came to Macon to give identification to immigrants, Bank of America was there also to let them open up banking accounts.
RANDALL SAVAGE.. 13 WMAZ.. EYEWITNESS NEWS.
>> IN AN EMAIL RESPONSE..BANK OF AMERICA SPOKESWOMAN CHRISTINA BEYER SAYS FAITH-BASED LENDING IS IMPORTANT TO THE THE COMPANY....BUT DUE TO CUSTOMER PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY...THEY CAN'T DISCUSS INDIVIDUAL LOAN DECISIONS.
BEYER ALSO SAYS THE BANK DOESN'T DELIBERATELY OR PROACTIVELY MARKET TO ANY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
BROWN IS ONE OF FOUR DEMOCRATS SEEKING THE MAYORS OFFICE.. THE OTHERS ARE FORMER MACON FIREFIGHTER PAUL BRONSON.. FORMER MAYOR C. JACK ELLIS.. AND MAYOR ROBERT REICHERT.
THEY MEET IN THE JULY 19TH PRIMARY.

MACON POLICE SAY A TEENAGER TRIED TO GRAB A WOMAN'S PURSE...OUTSIDE A BIG LOTS STORE IN BLOOMFIELD.
THE TEEN WAS ARRESTED AFTER POLICE CHASED HIM AND ANOTHER MAN THROUGH SOME MACON NEIGHBORHOODS.
POLICE SAY ANREKA HARDEN HAD A GUN WHEN HE APPROACHED A WOMAN... AND TRIED TO TAKE HER PURSE.
THEY SAY IT HAPPENED AROUND 12-30 PM... AT THE STORE ON BLOOMFIELD ROAD.
AS THEY STRUGGLED... A SECOND MAN TRIED TO STEAL A PURSE FROM ANOTHER WOMAN... IN THE SAME PARKING LOT.
OFFICERS CHASED THE TWO MEN INTO AN APARTMENT COMPLEX... WHERE POLICE SAY HARDEN WAS ARRESTED... AND THE SECOND MAN GOT AWAY.
HE IS CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED ARMED ROBBERY.

A GEORGIA CONGRESSMAN SAYS HE'LL UNDERGO TREATMENT FOR PROSTATE CANCER AFTER BEING DIAGNOSED AT AN EARLY STAGE OF THE DISEASE.
DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE JOHN BARROW RELEASED A STATEMENT TODAY SAYING HIS DOCTORS EXPECT HIM TO MAKE A FULL RECOVERY.
HE PLANS TO BEGIN RADIATION THERAPY NEXT MONTH.
BARROW IS SERVING HIS FOURTH TERM REPRESENTING EASTERN GEORGIA'S 12TH DISTRICT WHICH INCLUDES MILLEDGEVILLE.

TODAY KICKS OFF THE START OF SUMMER... BUT CENTRAL GEORGIANS HAVE COPED WITH HOT TEMPERATURES FOR MORE THAN A MONTH.
STATE CLIMATOLOGIST DAVID STOOKSBURY SAYS THIS SPRING FEATURED THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURES ON RECORD DATING BACK TO 19-48.
FARMER JAMES JEANES SAYS.... IN JONES COUNTY... THE SEVERE DROUGHT MAKES RAISING CATTLE MORE DIFFICULT.
HE SAYS THERE'S NOT ENOUGH GRASS FOR THE HERD TO FEED ON... SO HE SPENDS 400 DOLLARS A DAY ON HAY.
THE FARM'S TWO PONDS ARE AT THE LOWEST LEVELS HE'S SEEN... AND HE SAYS THEY'RE SO HOT... THE CATTLE WON'T DRINK FROM THEM.
James Jeanes, Jones County: "Typically, the cattle would just drink out of these small ponds and all, but the water has gotten so low that some of the fish have died in the ponds. The water's probably not healthy for them right now, and plus with the heat and all, I'm sure it doesn't taste very good to them. They'll walk by these little ponds now and go up to drink out of the water that comes out of our well. Of course, the more water they drink out of the well, that's just added expense because you have to pay the electric bill to run the well for a herd of cattle to drink out of."
JEANES SAYS... ALL OF HIS COWS ARE ABOUT 100 POUNDS UNDERWEIGHT.

AFTER NEARLY SIX YEARS OF STOPS AND STARTS... WARNER ROBINS CITY LEADERS FINALLY TURNED THE FIRST SHOVEL OF DIRT ON A NEW LAW ENFORCEMENT CENTER.
THEY BROKE GROUND TODAY... BUT AS LORRA LYNCH JONES TELLS YOU... CONSTRUCTION WILL NOT BEGIN FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.
<<nats- 7:10 shoveling dirt
TWO DOZEN GOLDEN SHOVELS MARKED THE CEREMONIAL START OF ONE PHASE AND THE END OF ANOTHER.
Chuck Shaheen, Mayor: "It's been a lot of prayer, a lot of collaborative effort on wheres the best location."
MAYOR CHUCK SHAHEEN SAID AFTER YEARS OF DEBATE ABOUT WHERE TO BUILD A LAW ENFORCEMENT CENTER... THIS GATHERING PROVES THE INTENT TO LOCATE IT HERE... ALONG WATSON BOULEVARD AND ACROSS FROM THE MAIN GATE OF ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE.
Chuck Shaheen: (1133) "This is going to be the anchor for revitalization of downtown Warner Robins."
HE SAYS DEMOLITION SHOULD START NEXT MONTH... AFTER THE CITY CLEARS ONE REMAINING PROBLEM... A PROPERTY OWNER WHO HAS NOT AGREED TO SELL.
Lorra Lynch Jones: (2024) "Mayor Chuck Shaheen says they offered the property owner a fair market value, but so far he hasn't accepted. Now the issue is heading for a July court hearing."
Chuck Shaheen (915) "If we have to, eminent domain, we will get the piece of property."
SHAHEEN WANTS CONSTRUCTION TO START BY OCTOBER ON THE TWO- STORY... 41-THOUSAND SQUARE FOOT BUILDING.
quick nats- ceremony
THE BOARD IN CHARGE OF OVERSEEING THE PROJECT RECENTLY DOWNSIZED THE PLANS.... BUT A NEW DESIGN SHOULD BE READY NEXT WEEK.
nats- chief
POLICE CHIEF BRETT EVANS KNOWS THE MOVE-IN DATE... MAY BE NOT BE UNTIL LATE NEXT YEAR... BUT CALLED SIMPLY TURNING GROUND.. "ENCOURAGING " TO HIS OFFICeRS.
(1220) "Chief Brett Evans: "Now they actually have a location they can claim, and say that's where were going to be."
nats- clapping
STD
>> SHAHEEN SAID HE WANTED TO HOLD THE GROUND BREAKING AHEAD OF DEMOLITION... BEFORE IT GETS HOTTER LATER IN THE SUMMER.
THE BUDGET FOR THE LAW ENFORCEMENT CENTER IS SEVEN AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS.

SUMMER STARTED TODAY... AND OUR FACEBOOK FANS ARE CHATTING ABOUT THE HEAT IN CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS SPRING.
WE ASKED THEM IF THEY HAD A HARD TIME DEALING WITH IT.
BUG REPLIED... "YES, UNTIL I TOOK A VISIT TO PANAMA CITY.
NOW.... I AM GRATEFUL THAT I LIVE 300 MILES NORTH OF FLORIDA."
AMANDA WROTE... "MY AIR CONDITIONER BROKE AND WE HAD NO COOL AIR FOR TWO DAYS.
IT WAS ABSOLUTELY MISERABLE! HOW DID PEOPLE EVER LIVE THAT WAY?"
LYNNETTE COMMENTED... "MY HUSBAND HAS WANTED A LAWN TRACTOR FOR YEARS TO MAKE MOWING EASIER.
HE FINALLY GOT ONE THIS YEAR AND THE GRASS IS ALL DEAD."
AND DESIREA WROTE... "BY THE TIME I GET OFF WORK AND ALLOW THE KIDS TO GO SWIMMING.... THE WATER IS HOTTER THAN MY SHOWER!!!
NOT TO MENTION THE PRICKLY GRASS KILLING OUR FEET.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION ON FACEBOOK.
VISIT US AT FACEBOOK DOT COM SLASH 13WMAZ...
CLICK THE "LIKE" BUTTON TO BECOME A FAN AND USE THE "SUGGEST TO FRIENDS" FEATURE TO INVITE YOUR FACEBOOK FRIENDS.

WHEN YOU GET YOUR PHONE BILL EACH MONTH... YOU MAY HAVE SOME CHARGES THAT YOU DIDN'T EXPECT.. AND MIGHT NOT HAVE ASKED FOR.
IT'S CALLED "CRAMMING."
IN TONIGHT'S GEEK 13... WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT HOW IT WORKS... AND HOW THE
F-C-C PLANS TO CRACK DOWN ON THE PROBLEM.
PLUS... WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT SOME OF C-NET'S TOP PICKS FOR KEEPING YOUR MUSIC LIBRARY AS CLOSE AT HAND AS YOUR SMARTPHONE.
IT'S ALL TONIGHT DURING EYEWITNESS NEWS AT 11.

IT'S TIME TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHERE YOU LIVE.
TODAY WE'RE LOOKING AT THE WARNER ROBINS PAGE.
OUR MOSSY CREEK SOAP STUDIO BLOGGER MICHELLE WRITES ABOUT THE HISTORY OF WEDDING FAVORS.
SHE SAYS WEDDING FAVORS ARE SYMBOLIC FOR WEALTH AND ROYALTY AND WERE USUALLY SMALL CANDIES.
SHE SAYS THAT SOAP CAN ALSO BE OFFERED AS A FAVOR, SINCE IT WAS CONSIDERED A SIGN OF WEALTH.
TO FIND OUT MORE, HEAD ON OVER TO THE WARNER ROBINS PAGE.
IF YOU WANT TO BLOG AND SHARE INFORMATION IN YOUR COMMUNITY... YOU CAN E-MAIL WHEREYOULIVE@13WMAZ.COM